This invention relates to household refrigerators and is more particularly concerned with a combination refrigerator cabinet, that is, a refrigerator cabinet including a freezer compartment on top and a fresh food compartment below separated by a partition and the method of making the same.
Combination refrigerators, including a single evaporator and a single fan for circulating air from the freezer and fresh food compartments over the evaporator are well known. In the operation of such refrigerators, a major portion of the refrigerated air from the evaporator is directed into the freezer compartment while a smaller portion is directed into the fresh food compartment. The freezer compartment is maintained at below freezing temperatures, while the fresh food compartment is maintained above the freezing temperature. To separate the two compartments and to help maintain their respective temperature levels, there is provided a partition which, in many cases, is formed of a sandwich type construction wherein there is a top panel which functions as the bottom wall of the freezer compartment, a bottom panel which functions as the top wall of the fresh food compartment, and a rigid plastic foam insulating member between these panels.
Household refrigerators require a number of electrical wires that lead from the rear of the refrigerator to the front of the refrigerator for such things as the light switch and mullion heaters. Many of today's household refrigerators utilize cabinets having foamed plastic walls, such as closed cell polyurethane, as insulation. After this type of insulating material is foamed in place, it is so adherent and rigid that it becomes very difficult during manufacture of the refrigerator cabinet to have any electrical wires passing through the insulating material. Therefore, it is beneficial to be able to have the electrical wires pass through the partition between the freezer compartment and fresh food compartment so that they may be utilized to make the necessary electrical connections at the front of the refrigerator. The partition is a sub-assembly which is later secured inside the refrigerator cabinet. It is desirable that the electrical wires be placed in the sub-assembly partition and have them available for electrical connections after the sub-assembly partition is installed in the refrigerator cabinet. It is also desirable after the partition is installed that the wires can be moved for ease of making the necessary electrical connections.
By our invention there is provided a refrigerator cabinet having a rigid plastic foam member, an electrical wiring assembly and the method of making the same that accomplishes the above-mentioned desirable characteristics.